Heavy in His Arms
by ArvyBats
Summary: It was like walking a mile on glass, dragging the world behind you. They used to think they could save the planet when they couldn't even save themselves. Brought together by the impossible only to face it down as enemies strand and trap them. The only way to live is to reconcile what they once had and give each other one more chance in the wake of the nightmares and guilt.
1. Chapter 1

The thrum of the engines was like a painful buzz in the back of Steve's skull as he gripped the controls for the quinjet. He eyed the blinking console before him with growing distaste. The ache between his eyes was slowly fading, but it still hurt to scrunch his brow. He rubbed at the dark bruise creased between his eyebrows and across the majority of his forehead. A hiss of pain fed through his teeth as he pulled his fingers away suddenly. Steve felt his mood darken as he stared at the instrument paneling, his mind wandering back towards the man within the rear cabin. The return trip from the Black Forest scouting in Germany was much quieter than Steve had expected, but he wasn't thankful for it this time. Against all odds, SHIELD had classified their co-op mission as a textbook success, but that didn't quell the churning in Steve's stomach. He knew by his standards that everything that could have gone wrong definitely had. He grit his teeth as he sat back in the pilot's chair, his shoulders aching from the stress. He glanced at the control panel one last time and he felt a nerve flinch in his neck when he heard a loud swear from beyond the cockpit door. Steve strained his ear, waiting for more, but only the thrum of the engines answered. He looked ahead to the large windows, his eyes finding the darkening horizon of the sky and the ever-shifting hues of the ocean below. A cold chill ran down his spine at the sight, but one deep breath was able to quell his nerves for then.

Tony Stark was not pouting. Of course he wasn't. He wasn't purposefully ignoring the good ole Captain America, because that would be unprofessional and Pepper would kill him for being mean again. But his ex-girlfriend turned CEO was still his closest friend after all. She was even Steve's friend also. Which would only prove to complicate things further once they reached the Tower in the States. Sighing over his armor, Tony had stripped off his Armani suit jacket and had even rolled up his crimson sleeves as he set to work. During the mission, Steve had miscalculated his throw and ended up hitting Tony; though the engineer wasn't sure if it was a total accident after all. The shield had hit Tony's thruster, sending the genius off course and made flying for the rest of the mission very difficult. However, seeing that large bruise on the captain's forehead was definitely worth the flight trouble. Digging through the sparking circuitry, Tony tried to keep his attention away from Steve and tried to focus on his work. Though he couldn't help but brace himself for the impending storm that would be the Captain's ranting of how terrible the mission had gone. Then they would start fighting. Again. For the umpteenth time that day it seemed. Why were they fighting so much? Because Steve was a prick that's why.

Steve made sure that they were on course as he engaged the autopilot, his gloved thumb sinking down onto the control with more force then he had meant. He closed his eyes slowly, sagging back against the seat tiredly. The sky was growing darker and he felt every ache individually as he stared at the sinking sun. The super soldier mumbled an angry word as he rose, blue eyes zeroing in on the sealed doorway. He remained stock still, focusing only on the thrum of the engines before he made up his mind and hit the release. The door slid open with a puff of air and Cap stepped out gingerly, spying Tony in the farthest corner of the cabin. The genius was surrounded by an astounding heap of Iron Man parts. They were scattered willy-nilly about Tony's feet and he didn't seem to mind the clutter. Steve held his tongue, his head throbbing once more as he made the decision to announce his presence. He cringed at how loud it sounded when he cleared his throat in the tiny confines of the quinjet. He stood straight, fully prepared to deliver his lecture when Tony finally looked up. The soldier closed his mouth at once when he read the sour look on his teammate's face and he knew things were going south fast.

Tony didn't even bother to look up right away when the door slid open with a loud whoosh. Yes, the sound startled him and no, Tony would not admit to being startled by a door opening. He was Iron Man after all. After he reattached yet another stray wire back into the boot of the Iron Man armor, then Tony gave the Captain his unyielding attention. Which seemed to put the good ole Cap into an even better mood then when they had boarded back onto the quinjet. He knew the lecture was coming and yet he should have just sat back and taken it. Kept his smart ass mouth shut for once and let Cap give him a tongue lashing. However, the soldier wasn't the only one who was rather put off. Tony would be working on the suit now for several days! Stifling a sound of irritation; Tony brushed away some of the scrap metal onto the floor before looking into Cap's way too bright, gorgeous, blue eyes. Yup, nope. Not going there. Not when he was angry at the other man.

"What can I do for you Cap? Gonna let me pilot now? Because it worked out for well for you last time." The genius snapped his own words surprising him a bit.

He hadn't meant to dig into old wounds, but when Tony was angry he liked to go for the things that hurt. Apparently he wasn't going to be holding back any punches today. Standing from the array of Iron Man parts spread out in front of him, Tony folded his arms across his chest and stared daggers back at Cap. Let the games begin. Steve felt a tinge of anger flush in his chest as Tony stood. He didn't flinch when the playboy's words hit him, but it did remind him of the unpleasant throb in his forehead. Cap swallowed once, his throat feeling dry as he turned away from Tony for a small second. He leaned on the bulkhead, sorting through what he wanted to say. He glanced back, Tony tapping his foot haphazardly against the metalwork. His impatient little rhythm made a vein in the super soldier's neck stand out; every little drum beat chipping at his frayed nerves. Steve clenched his hands behind his back and finally faced the genius.

"You're a real hotshot, you know that?" he berated, "My shield had a perfect opening until you broke formation and charged the enemy head on."

"Oh please. It's because of me that we're even on our way home right now," Tony shot back with a quick snip. Even with the high amount of caffeine running through his system, if Tony went still, it often meant that he was getting ready for a show down with the good captain. "Maybe you should just start rethinking all of your tactile plans? They suck. Besides I could of handled this all on my own. Though that little bruise on your head is proving that."

Tony shot back a small triumphant grin pulling at his chapped lips. He wanted to see how far he could push Cap. He wanted to make the Captain lose his control and snap at Tony; have him say things so that they could both go back to being how they were when they first met. It would have just been easier that way anyway. Why did Steve have to be such a naggy house wife? Steve bridled silently under Tony's grin, his eyes narrowing. On impulse, he took a step forward, squaring his shoulders defensively as he stared down the puffed up man before him.

His jaw clenched, his mouth forming ruefully around the words leaving him, "My plans suck, huh? I don't see you ever trying to prepare for these missions. All you ever do is dive headfirst into trouble you started. Attacking can't always be the plan, Tony!"

He frowned bitterly, the genius' name not rolling off his tongue like it used too. He didn't break eye contact, taking in the spiteful look in the browns of Tony's eyes. Steve faltered slightly when he briefly remembered how that gaze used to make him melt, but he steeled himself against it. Whatever was between them was now behind them; Tony's name coming up first to blame in Steve's thoughts. "You're so brash sometimes! You get people hurt, you know? You rushed into that fight back in Germany and I had to pull your sorry ass and three civilians out of the fire!"

"I had it under control! You just never give someone else's plan a chance. It's either your way or the highway, right?!" Tony snapped back his words coming off with a bitter growl. He even took a tentative step closer to get into the super soldiers face. He was angry and he was tired and he was hurt and probably needed a few hours of sleep before the two of them even started this conversation. But here they were and obviously both of them were too hot tempered to even take themselves seriously. "And my sorry ass?! Please, you're the one that can't even hit a target with your shield!"

He honestly wasn't even thinking about his words as he spoke now. Whatever mean and nasty things that came to mind were spilling from his mouth before he could stop himself, ""Everything that makes up these brilliant plans, and that shield, and your suit. All of it came from Stark Industries. Those muscles and that height that all _came out of a bottle_! Just like you; you're nothing, but a _fake_."

He wanted Steve to hurt, even more then the soldier was physically. He wanted his words to cut in hard and then to pour salt and lemon juice into those cuts. He so badly wanted to sever the bond the two of them had come to know. But at the same time he wanted to confide in whom he thought was his closest and dearest friend. But obviously he was wrong about Steve Rogers, and Tony was usually a very good judge of character. Tony was way too angry now. He actually stopped himself for a moment to quit his shouting and actually think about what he had just said to the man he cared about most. Yeah, maybe that last sentence had been a mistake. But instead of backing down he squared his shoulders and waited for Steve's final words. Cap always had to have the last word in edgewise. Well so did Tony, but he was done and was even starting to check out of the conversation. Instead, he was thinking about his armor and some new upgrades he could use; even about some of that liquor he had hidden down in the lab. Yes, Tony was already planning out the exact way he would start sulking. Steve felt the words like a stinging slap, Tony's bottle remark reminding him angrily of their forgotten argument on the helicarrier. He opened his mouth once, his tongue refusing to respond to his commands. The super soldier stiffened under his friend's cold glare, his clenched hands now free at his sides. A low growl of anger escaped Steve as he closed the gap, the two now chest to chest. His muscles coiled, pleading for him to just swing, but Steve kept his anger in check as he stared Tony down.

"You promised you wouldn't bring that up again," his voice was low; dangerous. "But that's just like you isn't it, Stark? To nitpick at others for their faults when you clearly are in denial of your own? Someone once told me that what really counts comes from inside a man, not from some fancy suit he wears. As cliché as it sounds, I don't care. Take all the credit if you want. All you do is take! You're a selfish, smug bastard! All I want to do is help people and do some good! But I can't; not with you getting in the way with your fancy suit and rockets! Grow up, Tony! Stop trying to play hero and act like one for god's sake!"

Tony was stunned for a few moments as Steve suddenly came forward, honestly freaking the engineer out a little bit. For a moment Tony wanted Steve to punch him. The genius knew that he deserved to be hit after that comment. Even after everything they'd been arguing about lately, Tony knew when to hold his jabs but right now he wanted to make Steve hurt like he was hurting. If that meant breaking some promises then so be it. However, Steve's words were stinging and still sore as they sunk was truly angry, but under that anger was a weeping hurt that was threatening to overcome the anger in the genius and swallow him whole. He just wanted to pull Steve in close and hug him, but at the same time he wanted to punch the soldier until he could make the man in front of him bleed. It appeared they were both at a stand off and neither was going to be yielding anytime soon. Stupid, irritating, Steve Rogers and his perfect body was really starting to irritate Tony as the situation escalated to new heights. Setting his jaw, Tony pushed hard against Steve's chest, trying to get the Captain to back off. But when that was obviously a failed plan, Tony just returned to his original tactic.

"Well I guess we both know where we stand then right?" Tony snapped as he looked up at Steve, challenging him. "I guess you want me out of your way? No longer want to be bothered with someone that can make Captain America look obsolete? Wanna get rid of me? Kick me off the Avenger's? Fine! Do it, I dare you. It won't stop me from doing what I think is right. If that means fighting you off then so be it."

"Dammit Tony, I'm not trying to get rid of you!" Steve exclaimed, grabbing a fistful of Tony's shirt in his hands. "This isn't about me. We're supposed to be a team, but I can't do that when you won't just listen! I only make my plans to try and keep everyone safe. Do you have any idea what it's like to watch a friend go down because my plan failed? Do you?!" The soldier's outburst shook him to the core as he pinned Tony against the loading ramp's support beam.

He stared hard at his teammate, fighting to find the words he needed. A bubbling well of anger swelled in the Captain's chest as he nearly tore the fabric of Tony's shirt in his fist. A blistering reply was on the tip of his tongue when the first explosion rocked the carriage of the quinjet. The plane listed to the left sharply, dipping it's destabilized wing. Steve lost his grip as he stumbled back, sliding across a few of the seats. His back met solid purchase as he hit the far wall. His shield took most of the impact, but he wouldn't deny the painful vibration in his spine. He managed to his feet, stumbling into the cockpit. Cap dived for the controls, struggling to steady the jet. The steering wheel jammed when he overcorrected, the sensitive device breaking under his confused grasp. Steve swore when he felt another rumble shake the quinjet. The loss of the starboard thruster made the plane buck, slamming Steve's face into the instrument paneling. He pulled away with a swear, holding his bloodied cheek. The devices were going haywire as he rose unsteadily, gripping the bulkhead to keep from being knocked off his feet.

Catching himself on the bulkhead, Tony watched as Steve rushed towards the cock pit to try and save the falling bird. Though once the engineer caught sight of all of the flashing red screens he knew they were doomed. At the rate they were falling from the sky, they didn't have time to think sensible, but only quick. Grabbing a parachute, Tony tossed it over his shoulders while grabbing Steve and dragging him from the cock pit. Pulling on the emergency release lever, Tony watched as the loading ramp lowered slowly, revealing the dark of the night and the churning ocean below. Yup that looked promising. Pulling the parachute onto his slim shoulders, Tony didn't even wait for Steve to get ready before he grabbed the soldier and jumped. A shrill unmanly shriek left his lips, though he wouldn't admit to it. He was used to flying, he should have been able to handle this. But all of the water waiting beneath them was a shock. Pulling the shoot, Tony kept a firm hold on the soldier with Cap's arms hanging on tight around his chest and waist; so tight he could feel the bruises forming already.

Steve felt a certain weightlessness as both him and Tony plunged from the crashing quinjet. He knew he shouldn't have looked down, but it was like some strong force was pushing his face towards the dark, creeping waters below. A surge of panic seized his heart violently and he couldn't suppress the stiffening of his already aching limbs. He wrapped his arms tighter around Tony, not even aware of the damage he could do. The wind howled in his ears as they plummeted. For once, Steve didn't try to act brave as he buried his face in Tony's shirt. All they did was keep falling and falling until the genius moved and there was a sharp twang. The two Avengers jerked against one another as the parachute came loose and billowed open in the night air. Steve held on tighter, the jerking motion sending him sliding down to where he only clung to Tony's waist. They seemed to dangle in the chill air for an eternity as the wind picked up, slowing them towards the water. Tony kept his eyes trained on Steve who was now only hanging around his waist. Honestly, if he were a teenager he would rather have had Steve on his knee's in the tower sucking the genius off. But then again this wasn't a fantasy and things had gone from bad to tragically worse. The undoubtedly cold water was approaching quickly and it wasn't long before their legs touched the black surface. Steve sunk under the water first and then he followed. Removing the parachute, Tony kicked to the surface, his hand a reassuring weight on the Captain's arm as he began to swim away from the plummeting wreckage of the quinjet. Honestly he hadn't really thought about the chill of the water until his lips began to tremble. He was constantly checking on Steve, making sure the soldier was still swimming away too.

"Come on Steve, I've seen you swim faster than that in the pool at the tower." Tony griped; well at least he tried too, except he was a bit breathless from the exertion of treading water. Wow, he really was out of shape. Maybe he should of let Clint and Natasha have a go at him. Well, he would definitely fix that if they were to ever get rescued any time soon.

Steve gasped loudly as he hit the water, the icy touch reflexively numbing to the super solider even if his suit was supposed to be weather resistant to certain weather extremes. He sucked in more water than he wanted when the gravity of the fall forced him underwater briefly. He splashed haphazardly, trying to find the surface when a guiding arm brought his head above water. Cap coughed loudly, hacking the water from his mouth. He panted heavily, looking around, but all he saw was an immense darkness. The water continually lapped at his face as he tried to calm himself. He was alive...alive; no ice, no drowning, alive. He felt Tony's arm pulling at his and his feet responded in kind, kicking in a vain attempt to tread water. Large waves brushed against their struggling forms and Steve couldn't keep the creeping fear out of his thoughts as he swam behind Tony. His teeth chattered out of reflex, but he kept his jaw firmly sealed; breathing heavily through his nose. He concentrated on putting one leg behind the other as they pushed through the inky waters of the nightly Atlantic. He wasn't sure how far they had gotten, a dull ache settling in his body as he kept kicking. There was a low rumble on the horizon, causing Steve to pause as he glanced back. Far away in the darkness, a sudden plume of orange grew like a beacon. It ballooned upwards for a few seconds when Steve realized what had happened.

"Tony! Swim faster!" he yelled, pushing at the genius, "Explosion! We're still caught in the-" A hot blast of air hit Steve like a punch from the Hulk. It knocked the breath from his lungs as he was blew out of the water, losing contact with Tony's hand. The two Avengers landed roughly, the blast of the shockwave roiling above their heads as they sank underwater.

Tony was definitely in shock as he fell back into the water. The heat from the explosion cooled rapidly in the freezing water. Kicking his way towards the surface, the genius coughed and sputtered trying get rid of the bleak salty taste of the water from his mouth and nose. Treading the top of the water, Tony spun in a circle looking for Steve. It didn't look like he had resurfaced yet, or maybe the Captain had been blasted farther away? Some cool dread was starting to work its way into Tony's throat choking him. Tony began shouting as he started swimming through the area looking for tacky red, white, and blue suit that turned the genius on every time he checked out the man. No, now was not the time to be having those thoughts. He had to find Steve first. Then he could jerk himself off to those thoughts once he was back in his bed at the tower. He was Tony Stark; of course he had fantasies about America's boy scout.

"Steve?! Answer me!" Tony shouted as loud as he could, his dark curls falling into his face as several waves crashed into him from behind, one of them threatening to send him back under the darkness that was the Atlantic ocean. "Come on Capsicle: answer me!"

His heart was erratic as he kicked hard, propelling himself upwards. He felt blind in the dark ocean, the saltwater stinging his eyes. Steve held his breath, pushing the panic aside for the moment as his hand breached the surface. The soldier emerged from the frothy waves, choking and gasping against the hot sizzle in the air. His throat burned from the toxic air, but he sucked in as much as he could before he would even dare look around. His eyes locked onto the dying winds of flickering orange in the distance, prompting the man out of time to look around. There was nothing as far as the eye could see; nothing but the black water and starry sky. He took some comfort in the pale light they gave, but he continued to tread water sluggishly when he realized Tony was nowhere in sight. Cap kicked hard to get leverage so he could see over the waves, but every splash was like a cold slap. His hair clung to his forehead in a salty strands, the soldier having to constantly push them away. He heard vague shouts in the distance and some hope brought life back to his numb limbs. Steve swam slowly in the direction of Iron Man, glimpsing the arc reactor in the darkness only once. He tried to shout back to Tony's cries, but his voice refused to comply, the burning in his throat turning every syllable into a raspy whisper. He tried though, waving his hand above the waves with the small chance Tony could catch sight of it in the darkness.

Of course, it was only Iron Man that could lose the great Captain America in the Atlantic ocean. Oh yeah that would look freaking fantastic on his report. Treading water, Tony continued to shout out different nicknames waiting for the Captain's angry shout to just, 'shut up Tony!' But that shout wasn't coming which was really starting to scare the genius. Though the great Tony Stark would never admit to being afraid. He was deeply terrified now. He wanted his friend, he wanted his bed in the avenger's tower, and he didn't want to argue anymore. Dark thoughts clouded his mind and his voice slowly got lower and more horse the more he shouted in the darkness. It was only when he caught the subtle glance of a flailing, bright red glove that Tony began swimming towards that flailing red glove with a new fervor. Wooh! The Captain was alive! Tony wasn't going to have to face Fury and Phil Coulson, saying that he lost Cap at sea. He definitely would have gone 'missing' himself if that were to happen. Coming upon Steve, Tony reached for his flailing hand and held it in his own.

"Don't want you to get lost Cap. I know how that Dementia can be a real bitch sometimes." Tony joked trying to lighten the tragic situation they were finding themselves in. Tony was just happy to have Steve by his side again, and to no longer be left alone in the darkness that was the ocean.

Relief flooded through Steve when Tony found his hand, their grasp weathered, but strong. They huddled together for a moment, Steve feeling every cold tremor through Tony's body. He looked about once, not seeing anything in the distance. His gaze sunk back on Tony's pale face, stress in his blue eyes. He managed a hoarse whisper, "Tony...what do we do? I don't...can't think of a plan; head hurts too much."

He grasped at his forehead, his vision swimming faintly. His friend's face blurred once before he blinked away the confusion. His legs felt like lead in the water, reflexively treading. It was slow-going as he clung to Tony's wrist, teeth chattering. Salt water continued to trickle down his face, upsetting the cuts across his cheek with an angry fire. He winced, trying not to think of the endless ocean around them. Okay, now Steve was actually scaring Tony. Obviously the soldier wasn't handling the cold or the ocean or the crash well at all. He even looked close to a panic attack if Steve's pale face and trembling was anything to go by. Squeezing Steve's hand with affection and support, Tony brought his body closer to Steve's so they could share body heat as the genius thought of a plan. Now he would have to be the hero it seemed. He would have to find a way to get them both to dry land some how.

"Okay, well first let's establish our direction.." Tony was talking mostly to himself as he took in account the stars and the horizon. Tugging Steve's hand, the genius pulled Steve along slowly as they swam. "If we swim far enough north, then we should find a boat maybe, or even an island right? I mean it's like a one in a million chance but we always have good luck. So we should find something and then we can just chalk this up as a fun nightmare. Yup sounds like a plan." Oh yeah, Tony was coping very well with having to stay strong for the both of them now. But he had yet to let go of Steve's hand even if it made swimming difficult for the Captain.

Steve slowed a few times, his thoughts a buzz of drunk pain. He idly swam behind Tony, spitting water out every few seconds. He grimaced when a stream of salty water got down his throat, burning like acid. He coughed through chattering teeth, just trying to stay focused on Tony's lead. Dry land sounded amazing; hot sand and trees. His shield felt heavy on his back, but he took comfort in it surviving the fall. He'd probably be in more of a panic if it wasn't there to remind him of the level head he needed to keep. Tony was doing most of the work and he felt very weak all of a sudden. Forcing his friend to pull both of them to safety did not sit well in his gut, so the soldier struggled to compensate. He focused on breathing and moving, kicking with his feet evenly to at least give Tony some semblance he was still alive. The dark surroundings were like a poison to his thoughts as he stared at Tony's soaked back. Was his teammate truly trying to save him or just doing this to save face with Fury? It was like a knife had twisted in Steve's gut at the thought. That surely had to be the reason why he was acting this way. It was just to save his own damned hide from the SHIELD director. A small spark of anger boiled in his stomach and Cap very nearly yanked his arm out of Tony's grasp. He paused, fingers slipping half out of Tony's iron grip. What the hell was he planning to do afterwards? Swim to shore by himself? The idea was so absurd that even Steve couldn't keep himself from cursing aloud. He kicked at the water around them hard, his determination bolstered by his anger. It seemed like hours were going by as they drifted, both Avengers growing weary as the nightwaters grew worse, nearly submerging them every few minutes.

As he felt Steve's fingers trying to slip from his hand, Tony latched onto that hand as hard as he could. He wasn't about to lose Steve again. However it seemed that Steve was out of his stupor because the soldier was starting to kick harder, seeming to get them to move faster through the water, though it was difficult to fight the current, and then also the waves. Tony would be shaking water out of his ears for months, but it was focusing on the little comforts that kept the genius moving through the choppy water, in hopes of finding dry land. SHIELD would have picked up the crashed jet sooner or later, and then they'd send a search party and everything would be just peachy. Well peachy for everyone else, except Tony and Steve. They honestly had some serious to shit to work through before they would be a complete team again. It felt like hours upon hours until they finally came upon land. It looked like a rather large island from this distance. But all Tony could think about was solid ground under his chilled body. Swimming with new energy, Tony pulled Steve all along keeping up idle chit chat; at one point talking to himself. Well, he started talking to himself a bit more then usual.

Steve grit his teeth, blocking out Tony's nervous rambling. He too saw the island and exhaustion seemed to set in at thought of finally being able to stop and rest. He kicked harder, ignoring the bone deep chill going down his neck or the charlie horse creeping up his left thigh. He could endure the torment for another ten minutes if it meant warm sand for a bed. Tony's tight grip surprised him, but he chalked it up as delirious excitement. They drew closer to the island, the hard waves finally sending them crashing onto shore. Steve went face first into the sand, the water pushing him along until he flipped over, spitting out the gritty substance. Tony washed up next to him, seaweed wrapped around the playboy's limbs like ropes. He kicked them off frantically, blanching as one weaseled across his face. Steve sat still for a moment, his head spinning as he took in the dark waves lapping lazily at his boots instead of threatening to suck him under. A violent nausea suddenly gripped the soldier and he turned over, retching into the sand. Nothing came up except salt water and shallow heaves. His throat burned from the exertion, but he couldn't stop the convulsions from rising. He tried to ignore Tony's voice and the hand on his shoulder. He inhaled sharply, pressing his forehead into the sand as he wished for the panic to subside. Exhaustion and pain pushed Steve over the edge though as he collapsed into the sand, much to his teammate's surprise.

Seaweed was disgusting and gross and icky and it stuck everywhere all over his nice suit. Well it had been nice; the salt water kind of murdered the poor pieces of fabric. Sighing Tony rolled towards Steve, his limbs felt like heavy lead as exhaustion began to sink in. The adrenaline from their short adventure was starting to wear off as he rubbed Steve's back through the dry heaves. Yeah, he remembered those. They were a bitch, but as he cut back on his alcohol intake and began to go through a bit of withdrawal, Steve was there to rub his back with affection and comfort while Tony threw up his stomach. The least Tony could do was try and soothe the Soldier who probably wanted nothing to do with him at this point, but Tony stayed by his side even after it was obvious that the poor Captain had passed out. Sighing, Tony flipped Steve onto his side with a great deal of effort, before he flopped down beside Steve trying to steal some of his body heat. The sun was starting to rise on the far horizon, and that seemed to be the last thing on Tony's mind before he too passed the fuck out.


	2. Chapter 2

_The early dawn painted the Manhattan skyline with a blush, wispy clouds trailing along the eaves of the tallest buildings. The cool morning breeze filled Steve with an air of freedom as he jogged quickly through the quiet sidewalks. He passed a few people on the sidewalk, always casually nodding a hello or flashing a kind smile. He could always put his problems behind him when he jogged in the morning. Everything just seemed to fall into place and make so much more sense to him when he had these few precious hours to himself. He breathed deeply, stilling outside the front doors to the Avengers tower. He looked the glass up and down with only a flash of trepidation. He was hoping the run had cooled him off enough to have a talk with a certain genius holed up in his lab. Tony had been absent for nearly three days in his workshop and Steve was worried to say the least. Things looked so promising in the beginning, he reflected as he went through the glass doors. Sure, it had been rocky at the get go, but Steve was confident they could fall into that proper love-hate rhythm they always had. He boarded the tower lift, heading for the floor everyone used as a gathering ground. It was where everyone usually was: Bruce would be in the armchair reading a newspaper, Natasha watching the morning news, and sometimes Tony who would at last come up for air just to go back down only with a fresh coffee in tow. As Steve stepped off the elevator, he knew something was off, just by the silence that graced him. He peeked around the corner of the hallway, eyes trailing to the living room first. Natasha wasn't there, but Bruce was. The scientist was perched on the couch this time, his back completely turned to the kitchen. His posture was all wrong though; usually so relaxed in the morning. Steve frowned at the way Bruce sat completely stiff, gripping the morning news more tightly than he should have. It was truly the only warning he would get when Steve turned his gaze upon the kitchen and froze in his tracks as he witnessed another man at the kitchen island, sipping orange juice with an oblivious Tony._

_"Hey Cap, how was the run?" Tony smiled kindly back at Steve while he flipped a pancake onto another plate filled with pancakes. _

_Actually Tony was a brilliant cook; he just refused to cook unless he had a good reason too, or even just having someone else to do it for. Yup that was how Tony worked. Besides, he worked better thriving off of coffee and power bars anyway. Turning his attention back towards his guest, Tony put on the cute one night stand act while even throwing in breakfast. He actually liked this guy, though he couldn't remember his name at the moment; maybe he would ask Jarvis about it later. He knew the team was tense since he and Steve were obviously not a thing anymore. For a long while it felt like they had grown apart; each time that happened Tony drew in on himself and waited for the hurt. Well not this time. He went bar hopping the evening before after he and Steve had had a nasty fight. He had picked up this young man, who looked an awful lot like a very lean version of a certain super soldier. Tony could pretend that things were still good, but he knew they weren't. Looking back at Steve, Tony steeled himself for shouting or anger; nothing new there at least._

_Steve wasn't sure how to respond at the sight of Tony so happily flipping pancakes for another man. The spectacle was too shocking for proper words. His heart twisted when Tony smiled at the man with gusto and then only offered him that fake business get up when he asked the soldier how his run had been. The only indication of Steve's disturbance was a twitch of the eyebrow. He walked slowly to the fridge, watching Tony's back for a second before he buried his face into the cold atmosphere. He fingered around through the foods, just trying to make time pass as he finally found his water bottle in the far back. Steve took one long swig, the sheer iciness of it waking him from his dazed stupor. Tony was still looking at him expectantly and Steve grew acutely aware of how he had purposely not answered Tony. A heat settled onto the back of his neck as the nameless man looked up from the kitchen island to stare at Steve in meager curiosity. Steve didn't meet his gaze and instead shrugged his shoulders in a so-so manner. When the nameless house guest turned away, Steve set his water bottle down and meticulously snuck the orange juice carton away. His name wasn't written on it, but he had bought it himself; so in a way, he had exclusive rights to it and not some bar buddy who Tony brought home. It came up light in his hand and he peered inside the carton with distaste, noticing the lack of his favorite morning drink. He set the carton down with a frustrated sigh and just went back to plain old water. If Tony was too busy making pancakes for someone else, then fine. He would just go work off his new stress in the gym. Steve looked Tony up and down for a long moment, a somber expression painting his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it promptly when he saw Tony's intruder peering up at him from the island. Steve held his tongue and just turned away, not bothering to say where he was off too. The only signal of him leaving that Tony had was the sound of the elevator ding and the closing of its door._

_It was strange seeing Steve act this way. Well yes, Steve had a right to be acting cold and aloof, though it seemed that the soldier was acting childish towards the man that was currently drinking Steve's orange juice. Tony tried not to cringe under the crushing guilt that he felt, but as far as he knew things were over between him and Steve. So it was okay that he went out and found another man to keep his bed warm for the night. Yes he was a whore, but he was Tony Stark and it was normal for the genius. Tony was even tempted to pour some whiskey into his coffee just so he could cope with the bubbling emotions under his skin._

_Steve paced the gym in the lower floors like a caged animal, his shoulders tensing and coiling beneath his sweatshirt. He had already burned through two of his five punching bags and he was quickly working away the burlap of the the third. His taped fists connected with the solid material with hard jabs, the bag vibrating dangerously on it's cord. He yelled out in frustration, punching the bag so hard his fist went right through its material. He pulled his hand out angrily, giving the punching bag a whirling kick. His heel hit it at the right angle for its support cord to snap. It went flying backwards, cracking against the wall with a resounding whump. Steve stared at it with as much hate as he could muster, but a heavy weight settled down on his shoulders. With a sigh, Steve sank to the floor out of defeat. He propped his elbows on his knees and rubbed his eyes, trying desperately to figure out what he'd done wrong. Their last fight had been one for the books, but they rarely had those. They frequented Steve's relationship with Tony every few months, but that was from the stress of constant missions and little time to be with each other. Why would Tony just up and sleep with someone else? Steve rested his head on his arms, confused and upset._

_Jarvis was monitoring Steve for the genius while Tony waltzed around and showed off his play things to his new toy. However, the kid wouldn't be sticking around for much longer only because Tony could hardly tolerate the blonde look a like. Exactly why did he choose someone who looked like Steve? He loved blondes, that was for sure; though he had found someone who could practically be Steve! Shaking his head, Tony filed that away for later. After several hours of being the kind and courteous host he could barely stand, Tony sent the kid on his way without giving him his number or anything. It had been a one night stand, no use getting clingy. Clingy never worked for Tony, and if it did, it only ended terribly just like with Steve. Sighing, Tony skittered down to his lab, avoiding all gazes from the others. He especially ignored all of the video feed to the gym. He knew things were over for them and he didn't care. He repeated those words like a mantra as he pieced together random odds and ends trying to keep his mind from the gorgeous blonde just a few levels up. Anger bubbled under Tony's skin as he tossed his little project skittering across the room. But once the anger was gone, the deep withering sadness that Steve had kept Tony from slipping into was creeping up and threatening to drown the engineer. He would usually go out and drink more until that feeling went away, but he would rather work. Putting his head on the lab table in front of him, Tony didn't pick up his head until the quiet whir of Dummy made him. Smiling very faintly, Tony took his broken project from Dummy's grasping claw before patting the head of his true best friend. _

_"Good boy.." Tony rasped before putting his head in his hands and letting that sadness swallow him whole._

_Steve raised his head slowly, looking around him at the emptiness in the large gym. He swallowed once past the lump in his throat, rising to his feet. He collected what few things he had brought with him and made his way to the elevator. When he set foot in the steel compartment, his eyes traveled to the one button that read "LABS" and he reflexively had his thumb against it before he caught what he was doing. He kept it there for the longest time, aching to just press it down and go see Tony. His renown self-control kept himself from doing so as he guided the elevator to go to his floor instead. Steve stepped off the elevator with a sigh, toeing his sneakers off and heading for the bathroom. A quick shower seemed like the only plan in mind for once. He stopped for a second, scoffing at the pun; man with a plan...yeah right. If he always had a plan, how come he didn't this time? The weight of that question was oppressive enough and out of anger, Steve kicked at the wall with his foot. He wasn't surprised when his foot went right through the few inches of drywall; what he had not been expecting was to hit pure concrete on the other side. He reeled back in pain, bending low to tend to his jammed foot. Even if he was damn near invincible, he was still human and prone to a few stubbed toes. He growled out loud, putting a little weight on them as he marched off for the bathroom. _

_Stripping down, he submerged himself in the piping hot shower and mumbled, "Damn, just another thing I broke that Tony's gonna have to fix..."_

When the dawn had broken over the horizon, it was the heat that seemed to rouse the genius from his exhausted sleep. However, when he came to all he saw was sand. It was sand and heat. Lots of heat. Sand. All sand. Everywhere. For a few moments Tony began to panic, thrashing against the sand he was laying face first in. No, he wasn't there anymore. He couldn't be. He was in one of his ruined Armani suits, but he was deep in the sand somewhere. He must of been back there...Afghanistan; in the caves being threatened and half drowned. Tony sat up with a loud half scream. No, it was not girly; he was trying not to have a panic attack for fuck's sake. Give a guy a break! Honestly, who laughs at this stuff? Right, stuck int he sand; sitting up, Tony brushed the gritty sand from his face and eyes and that's when he saw the trees and the water and then everything came flooding back; the plane crash, swimming for several hours.

"Oh God..." Tony muttered before flopping down on his back, his right hand pressing into the ark reactor almost obsessively. But then he remembered about Steve. "Steve?!" God, was this going to be a repeat of last night?!

Steve squinted, raising a gloved hand to block the hot rays of the sun as he surveyed the island's length. He took note of how it curved for more than a mile before the sand was consumed by the tropical foliage in the distance. He continued to march, boots sinking into the sand under his exhausted weight. A salty breeze tickled his face and he looked out to the ocean, his throat clenching up in earnest. Cap ignored the slight thirst and kept soldiering on, surveying as much he could in the blazing afternoon. He swiped at his brow once, brushing off the seasalt crusted on after his night at sea. Steve groaned aloud as he came to a halt, his stomach growling fiercely. He gripped at his abdomen as if willing it to quiet. Knowing he could go no further without proper fuel, the super soldier was on the verge of turning back when he caught a faint sound on the tropical wind. He strained his ear, catching faint words and he frowned. Tony must have woken up. Rubbing at his chin, Steve turned back to rejoin his companion, quietly mumbling he had no idea the man could scream so loud. The thought was mildly amusing to the man out of time, but he didn't dwell on that for too long. What felt like a twenty minute walk in the morning now felt like an hour long hike as Steve trekked through the tropical haze back to their spot on the beach. Tony was there, wandering along the shoreline, hysterical as usual. Steve wasn't even sure about what it was that time so he just stood with his arms crossed until the playboy was done with his fit.

"Are you happy God!? Is this what you like to see?! Me stranded on an island?! Is this for my tech, huh, is it?! Well wait till I get up there! I'll show you all this tech when I kick your ass!"

Tony was having a fit. It was a fit that put all of his other fits to shame if you asked the genius. Tony has thrown off his jacket and was tempted to toss it into the ocean, but he figured that he would need it sooner or later. He had kicked off his shoes after stumbling in the sand way too much which only seemed to anger him to a whole new level of pissed off. Okay, yes, Tony was overreacting and if Steve could hear him wherever the damned Captain had gone off to, well Steve would be washing his mouth out with whatever kind of soap he could find; a strange thought that Tony found both infuriating and kinky at the same time.

"All I wanted was to go home and sit in my lab and wallow in Chinese take out and listen to Guns N Roses. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is, because now I have no tech, no Iron Man suits, I almost drowned; almost had Steve drown. Now Steve's gone; probably got rescued and left me behind. But I deserve it since I'm a dick, but so is he! Why?!" At this Tony fell on his knee's and put his head in his hands. It was the quiet chuckle that caught the genius' ear that was quick to renew his anger. The captain had been standing there letting him think he was gone off somewhere! The nerve of some people! "Oh and what are you laughing at?!" Tony snapped as he stood, getting closer to the water's edge. Honestly, he just wanted to punch Steve, but if he did that outside of the suit Tony would have most likely had to deal with a broken hand. "You think you're, oh so, amazing! Just wandering off yet again! What's wrong with you?! Don't you know we're supposed to stick together?! Who just leaves someone face down in the sand anyway?! Look, I get you hate me, but I'd like to die in an epic firefight; not because I was suffocated by sand!" Okay, maybe Tony was becoming irrational now, but it felt justified to the genius.

"Relax, Stark. I was only gone for a few hours. I knew where'd you be. I was surveying the island; trying to get some idea of where we were," Steve huffed, raising a placating finger. "Besides, I don't understand why you have to be so dramatic. It's not like the ocean ever did anything to you."

Cap frowned, taking a few steps towards the blue waters completely surrounding them. He eyed them with distaste before turning back to the hysterical man at his side. Steve took in Tony's appearance and felt his own skin flush in pain. The genius looked like he'd been thoroughly cooked across the face, his skin a cherry red. His hair was sticking up every which way in comparison to his usual coif style. Steve resisted the urge to smooth it back like he usually would, instead balling his hand into the sand as he crouched down. The water lapped at his boots and he tried to focus on it as Tony glared down at his star-spangled back.

"To be honest, I can't make heads or tails of where we are. We're definitely somewhere in the Atlantic and close to the eastern coastline, but that's it. We'd have to explore the island more to learn anything decent."

"Explore? Oh yeah. You'd be perfect at that in your Captain America suit: nearly impenetrable by animal life and snake bites and poison ivy and all that super fun, amazing stuff. I should know because I designed your suit with all those awesome interests in mind just to keep you safe!"

Again Tony was being a bit dramatic, but he was agitated and hungry and tired and his face hurt from his extremely obvious sunburn. Huffing like a petulant child, Tony toed on his once very fancy expensive Italian leather shoes and then also pulled on his jacket, trying to ignore the suffocating heat that was enveloping him. Turning towards Cap, he resisted the urge to push the man head first into the water and run. If they were close like they had been, they both would have laughed and played in the water. However, now they were practically enemies and they just wanted to get off of the island and away from one another. It didn't matter how quickly Tony shut that thought down, the feelings were starting to eat at his resolve again, but Tony shook it off with a quick snarl before working his way towards where Steve had emerged from before.

"Alright Spangles, let's get a move on. Obviously we don't have a lot of daylight to burn with anymore dramatics by yours truly. Maybe after we get off of this island alive, I'll try out for Broadway. I think I would amazing. I'd probably knock everyone off there feet." Honestly, when Tony went on and on like this it relaxed the genius and kept him away from having a total psychotic breakdown. The Captain should be grateful.

Steve bridled under Tony's scrutiny, but he held his tongue. Instead he rose to his full height and just pointed towards the forest several meters from the shore. With a stiff tone, he hold the playboy to go in and collect as many wide leaves as he could to build a shelter. The super soldier pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing as he brushed the fading bruise on his forehead. With a quick snap of his chin, he goaded Tony towards the woods as they parted ways, claiming he was off to find wood for their shelter and a campfire. Steve was a total dick now. It was a terrible idea to send Tony off on his own. Even the readers know that this was a terrible fucking idea. It had only been about forty-five minutes and already Tony felt like he was getting too far from the shoreline and also climbing to far into the current tree he was in. But there were some large leaves which would work well for some cover from the sun and rain. However, once he tossed the large palm-like leaves down to the ground, Tony took in the true height of the tree he was in.

"Well fuck me sideways.." Tony gasped as he held onto the tree tighter. Almost too tight and now he wasn't sure how he got up that high as it was, now how the hell would he get down! Honestly since he was Iron Man this shouldn't be that bad, heights should be a conquered fear of Tony's. Well readers you are dead wrong. "Steve!" Tony started shouting again, his raw throat starting to ache a bit more the more he shouted. "Cap!" Another nickname. "Spangles!" Yet another nickname. "Old man!" Yeah, maybe Steve would be leaving him in that tree if Tony didn't actually start calling him by his full name. "Steve! I'm stuck!" The genius called into the wilderness, praying that it was only Steve that would be marching through the woods to get him.

Steve let the bundle of driftwood and branches fall from his arms in a tumultuous heap as he returned to their impromptu campsite. He straightened his back, hearing a satisfying crack. He had already set up several of the branches as a base for a makeshift tent when Tony's yelling breached the wall of trees. Cap sat back on his heels, craning his neck towards the dense tropical foliage in frustration. How could Tony be in trouble so soon. It had been maybe an hour tops since he'd sent him off. Dusting his pants, Steve rose and marched towards the forest. He listened closely to the direction of Tony's voice, telling quickly that the playboy had gone farther into the forest than Steve had suggested. The super soldier pushed his way through the thick undergrowth, wondering how Tony had even made it past all the muck tangled up in the large roots emerging from the ground. Steve tripped once, balancing himself against a fallen trunk. With some effort, he managed to free his boot from the thick mud. His sharp eyes spotted something as he moved and he bent low, prying it loose from the debris. He held it up and he cracked a wry smile, knowing at once it was one of Tony's Italian leather shoes. Steve shook his head and held onto it as he finally reached Tony's location. The soldier had to lean back and crane his neck most of the way to even glimpse the genius stuck up in the tree.

"Tony!" Steve called up, cupping a hand to his mouth. "How did you get all the way up there?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to get down now," Tony demanded once again sounding like a put-out child. He was stuck in a tree, on a desolate island, with someone who probably wanted him dead. Oh yeah, he was having a great time. He had lost his shoe as he looked for the right leaves to use; he even noticed that Steve had found it. "Oh you found my shoe! Awesome, you can just keep it down there..." Tony trailed while he tried to avoid looking down again so his stomach didn't suddenly started doing flips. Again. Tucking his face against the tree branch he was clinging onto like a cat he chanced a glance down at Steve. "Cap, I'd really like to get down now.."

"Don't worry, I'll have you down in jiffy," Steve replied, his tone slipping to a softer note as he set the shoe down. The soldier took a few careful steps back so that Tony was in perfect view. He eyed the tree, doing the math in his head as he angled into a prime position. "Tony, I can get you down, but you're not gonna like it."

Tony really didn't like Steve sometimes he thought, turning his head just so he could look down at the soldier. Why had he backed away from the tree? What the hell was he thinking?! Now readers don't go throwing yourselves from trees thinking Steve Rogers will be there to catch you. It probably won't end well so just listen to your friend Tony Stark for now, mkay? Anyway, Tony looked down at the super soldier with horror-filled eyes. "No. Hell No. No No No No No NO No NO." Tony repeated quickly, while clinging to the tree more. "I will die in this tree."

"Really Tony? It's only about four stories up. If you jump, I can catch you; I swear," Steve called up, a little flustered with his teammate's behavior. "I've done these kinds of things before when serving in the War. The calculations are practically child's play to do, so just jump!"

"Sure and you're gonna catch me?! You hate me. Nope. I'm gonna stay up here!" Tony sunk deeper into the bark of the tree. No he was not a tree hugger, but at that moment he totally was. Only because he didn't want to die.

"I don't...hate you," Steve sighed, hoping the pause would go unnoticed, "Of course I'd catch you. I don't exactly make it a habit of turning my friends into pancakes."

Tony looked down at Steve with a critical look before he slid further from the branch. "Alright fine..but if you don't catch me I'm haunting you." That was a promise. Though Tony didn't really believe in ghosts.

"I won't let you fall, Tony," Steve said one last time.

Preparing himself, Cap steadied his footing and waved Tony further along the branch. He watched him carefully, making small gestures with his hands when he thought it was safe to tread out of the tree. When Tony was finally almost at the end of the thick branch, Steve signaled him that the time to jump had come. The playboy looked almost sick as he clung to the branch and very slowly rose into a crouch. He took a tentative step forward and yelped in fear when a low groaning came from tree. Cap looked away from Tony for a moment, realizing that the man's weight was upsetting the flimsy branch. Tony gave an indignant shriek as the tree branch caved beneath him and he plummeted faster than what he thought was possible at his height. Adrenaline spiking, Steve shot forward, his arms outstretched. The branch crashed to his left, Tony falling to the right. With one short leap, Cap dived to the ground, catching Tony mid-fall. They both connected with the ground hard, sliding through the mud a few feet before the cacophony of the forest settled down once more. Steve groaned, lifting his already beaten face out of the muck; the entire backside of his uniform now smeared with twigs and dirt. Tony was beside him, having been tossed from the super soldier's arms in the fall forward.

Tony had shrieked like a scared, little girl. He could own up to it, and so would the readers if they had to jump from so high. Though the genius really didn't wanna know what he was laying in currently, he was pretty sure his back and hair were covered in mud. Instead, he sat up with sick groan while looking towards Steve with a sheepish look. "Thank's Cap."

Tony was being genuinely honest. Standing gingerly, he began to gather up the huge amount of large palm like leaves he had found. Each would be good to layer up a roof and even the sides to keep out rain and other bugs and icky things. Yes, icky things. So the genius had never actually taken a survival course, but it really couldn't be that difficult, could it? Yes, yes it could; now all of you go prepare yourselves in case you're ever lost in the woods. Keeping to himself, Tony found his shoe once again as he pulled it on before navigating his way back towards where Steve had been setting up the wood he had gathered for their makeshift hut. It was starting to become dark rather quickly which was alarming to Tony. This seemed to hurry the pair along as they began to piece together a square like canopy of twigs and leaves with a few walls even. Tomorrow, Tony would probably find ways to make the canopy even better, just because the genius needed something else to do or he'd go bat shit crazy, and that's just how he did things. Using his tattered and wet jacket for a pillow, Tony laid across the make shift bed. Oh yeah this was better then a five star hotel!


	3. Chapter 3

Steve watched the sun sink below the horizon, his legs drawn up to his chest tightly. He rested his chin on his knees tiredly, trying to stay awake as night approached. The soldier within him insisted he keep watch, but the human side of his brain kept lulling him back into its delicate touch. He yawned largely, but continued to stay upright for the next few hours. Tony mumbled a few times in his sleep, kicking up sand when his leg would twitch. Steve felt a pang of sadness run through him as he watched, knowing his friend was wrapped up in the telltale spin of a nightmare. He laid his head in his arms, trying to ignore the depressive ache in his thoughts as Tony edged away from the Captain. He settled into an uneven sleep, waking up periodically still sitting up. It was far into the night when he started awake, his breath pluming in faint clouds before him. His face felt numb as he moved his jaw around to alleviate his stiffness. The soldier stretched from his awkward position finally, splaying his legs out before him comfortably in the sand. He almost fell back into sleep's embrace when he noticed Tony was missing. A trilling alarm blazed in his nerves as Steve shot up, ducking out through the tent's entrance. He rose onto numb feet, stumbling awkwardly in the sand as he looked around in haste. Tony's name had almost made it past Steve's lips when he spotted the playboy perched in the sand, directly before the ocean.

Tony was fucking done with everything. He had heard twigs snapping and some other awkward scary noises coming from the woods. Why build the hut so close to the woods? Who thought that was a good idea?! So, that was why Tony sat at the near edge of the water; so he could try and swim away in case anything came chasing after him wanting a taste. He had his knees pressed up against his chest and his jacket thrown around his shoulder's to keep out the chill. A faint glow from the arc reactor illuminated his tired and very sunburned face in the evening dark. He could hear Steve moving around because now Tony could fucking hear everything that was going on in the world around them. Tony didn't care anymore. Honestly, he just wanted to sit by the water and wait for the rescue team to show up. By now he could ignore the hunger and the thirst only because he had never really bothered with those feelings before when he was on a work bender. But he knew Steve had to be miserable. With his super metabolism, he had to be running on empty. That was probably why most of his injuries had yet to fade completely. Stuffing his face into his arms, Tony let himself get lulled away for a few moments by the waves washing onto the shore.

"Tony?" Steve said no louder than a whisper, wary of the reclusive engineer.

He inched forward, stopping short of Stark. He waited a long while, not receiving an answer like he'd expected. Putting aside their differences for the moment, Cap edged closer tentatively. Tony didn't even flinch away like he usually would or even offer a snide comment as Steve sank down to the sand, sitting cross-legged. He pulled at a tiny slip of seaweed that had washed up on shore and he began to tie slow knots into the vine, trying to figure out what to say. Tony was obviously not taking well to being stranded and especially since he was marooned with the super soldier. Steve took a minute to think back on everything they had been arguing about for well over three weeks. He paused in his knot-tying, realizing with disdain that he couldn't even remember the reason behind their split. It had been a rough argument; worse than others that left both of them not speaking for a few days. Steve had been working on an apology for a while and then Tony went out, got drunk, and slept with someone else. Steve looked to his teammate for some kind of sign, but Tony remained reticent. Tony heard the foot steps and he even felt the sand shift at his right when Steve took a seat beside him. Tony found it strange how Steve could even find himself able to stand the genius' presence. It was off because the rest of the Avengers hated him after his fall out with Steve. Huddling in closer on himself, Tony resisted the urge to curl closer into the super soldier only because of the immense heat that Steve was radiating. But that would be awkward and Tony didn't need more awkward.

"Steve, what are you doing?" Tony asked before picking up his head and looking back at Steve with an arched brow. He wasn't really sure why the soldier would be worried if Tony wasn't there. Maybe he would have thrown a party if Tony had gotten eaten. Yup, totally being realistic now.

"What happened to us?" Steve replied, his eyes gazing far out across the ocean.

He remained still for some time, his hand clenching around the knotted seaweed. A knot was forming in his throat, making it hard to swallow through the dryness. He let the little vine slip from his hand, watching it get carried away by the cool waves lapping closely near the two Avengers' feet. Cap pulled at the collar of his suit, unstrapping it slightly so he could breathe more freely. He rubbed his collarbone tenderly, a light bruising along it from their horrible mission in Germany. Steve thought back and remembered how it had happened all too clearly. Completely surrounded by the enemy, Tony had to swoop in and pull the soldier out, but the enemy was persistent. One of them managed to hit a vulnerable point on the Iron Man suit, causing Tony to veer awkwardly. Cap had opted to separate at that point, but it had been a bad call as he remembered falling about two stories and clothes-lining a tree branch on the way down. Steve berated himself for it now, leaning forward in the sand. Tony remembered when Cap had miscalculated his own call. It rarely happened, but whenever it seemed to happen, it was Tony's fault or it was something to do with Tony. The genius could feel the guilt just swallow him whole as he looked sideways towards the good Captain and he took in the bruises covering Steve. Putting his head on his knee's again Tony took a few moments to answer.

"I fucked up. You fucked up. You got involved with me. Things got fucked up. The team got fucked up. I continued to fuck up. I could continue but you might get angry with my excessive use of fuck and up."

Steve couldn't hold back the heavy sigh leaving his lungs in a rush as he studied Tony's hunched shoulders and the way the man looked so beaten down. He rubbed his face tiredly and finally decided to move closer just to get rid of the emptiness he felt every time he looked at Tony now. Cap grew very quiet as he struggled to find the right words to express all the thoughts running through his mind at that moment. It remained a jumbled blur until he just blurted out the first thing he thought of, "The moon sure is bright tonight."

Steve blinked for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what he'd said. Out of all the things he could have replied with, it had to be about the weather? The super soldier smacked his palm to his face in response to his chagrin. Hopefully the genius next to him wouldn't think he was making so awkward joke at a moment Steve wanted to be serious. The warmth radiating from Steve was a welcomed feeling. Tony had to keep himself from practically crawling into the soldier's lap. Though even as he began to relax into the familiar feeling of comfort and safety, questions began going through Tony's mind. Questions that could wait to be asked until tomorrow. Nope. They couldn't wait, Tony needed to know.

"Why are you being so nice to me? After everything I've done and said? You should hate me. Push me away. Kick sand in my face. You had the perfect opportunity to just let me drown in the ocean, or even bury me in the sand. No one would know. But I wouldn't blame you, I wanted to drown me too." Tony mumbled while he began to separate himself from the Captain's side while he went on his long tirade.

"Tony don't do this; please-" Steve answered, his voice cracking from dryness. His fingers reflexively curled around Tony's fleeing wrist, hoping to keep him close for just a while longer. "I'm so sorry if you thought I hated you. I don't, honest! I'm just so confused...if you'd stop pushing me away, maybe we could figure this out."

Steve let go as soon as Tony ripped his arm from the soldier's grasp. A brisk wind circled between them as the genius drew back from Steve in question. Cap felt a sharp pain twinge in his chest as he got caught up in his own words, stumbling over them haphazardly. He held his tongue, not wanting more desperation to creep out in his tone. The gap between them grew and Steve couldn't stay sitting for long, rising to his feet and pacing up and down the shoreline. His arms were folded behind his head in thought, his face strained. Tony didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what he could say. The look of pain that had crossed Steve's face had almost had the genius crawling into his lap, just to take that pained look away. But Tony wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that. Steve deserved someone that wasn't Tony. Someone who wasn't selfish or self-centered or a playboy. Pretty much a long list of things, which the genius started to alphabetize in his own head as his eyes followed Steve's form as he paced the shoreline in obvious thought.

"I don't know what do!" Steve finally huffed out, stopping his staggered pacing, "I don't have a plan to fix this, Tony. Can you stop sulking for one minute and help me?"

Steve stared angrily at the sitting Avenger before him, exhaustion and hunger making his temper spike. Turning away from Tony, Cap looked for anything to direct his anger towards. Usually his target was always a good ol' fashioned punching bag, but they were stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere. So with no other option, Steve turned his attention toward the cold hard steel of the shield still strapped to his back. Grabbing it firmly, he buried a punch into the patriotic stripes. The vibranium absorbed the impact instantly, sending a bone deep ache through his arm, painful enough to give Steve pause before he roughly let it fall to the sands below. Truly Tony was terrified of Steve's sudden loss of control. The only time he had really seen the super soldier spaz out was after a big fight that hadn't ended well in anyone's favor. That was always when they went through the most punching bags. Standing from his place in the sand, Tony rushed towards Steve's side even though it was useless to try and keep the super soldier from damaging himself any further by punching his shield. Grabbing Steve by his elbow, Tony began shouting.

"Steve stop it! You'll only hurt yourself! We don't need you broken any further!" Tony shouted trying to get through to the super soldier.

"Let go of me, Tony," Steve warned, staring the smaller man down. "I just don't understand you anymore! You keep telling me I should hate you and I should give up, but here you are trying to keep me from getting hurt. Since when did you suddenly grow a heart?!"

Tony stopped his eyes appearing to glaze over as if he were in deep though, or starting to go into a rage. "I didn't grow a heart! I simply know that if you get hurt, we're both screwed on this godforsaken island!" Tony shouted back, easily standing his ground now. Though he wasn't really picking a fight with Steve that the super soldier had laid out for him. He was tired and so was Steve. They were both hungry and tired. Letting go of Steve's arm, Tony paced towards the ocean front where it appeared that the rays of the rising sun were just starting to crest on the horizon. Still partially ignoring Steve, Tony threw on his jacket and stalked away from Steve. "You should go find water..." It was barely a whisper falling from Tony's chapped lips before he disappeared through the trees.

Steve remained rooted in the sand, watching after Tony's fading back from the treeline. His jaw flexed as he kept it ground shut. He reached a hand up, scrubbing his exhausted eyes as he began to mutter obscenities even Tony would pause at. The super soldier had been completely prepared for a the blow-out that was due between them, but Tony's sudden surrender had left Cap stranded and unable to respond. Steve exhaled hotly, eyeing his discarded shield. It glimmered in the early rays of light and he clenched his very bruised hand around its edges. He stared at where Tony had vanished into the brush, wondering vaguely if he should allow the man to wander alone. A rueful anger pushed its way into Steve's heart and he just waved his hand dismissively, choosing to stalk off the opposite direction where his survival training would be most useful. By mid-afternoon, or some time, Tony wasn't really sure anymore, but he'd made a small fire in the sand and he was slowly starting to cook an array of medium-sized fish on a large leaf. Yes, Tony had caught fish. Honestly, he was pretty surprised by his skill, though he was pretty proud of himself also. After their fall out, Tony had walked for hours probably before he had found a sand bar. It wasn't hard to craft a net and a small spear either. Nor was catching the fish. The tricky part was not tripping all over himself as he brought back a decent amount of fish. Though the genius was mostly counting on Steve coming back eventually with some fresh water, then the soldier would eat and would be in a better mood. Well, at least that was how Tony was hoping it would work out.

Steve wiped his brow as he trekked through the dense undergrowth of the tropical forest. He made his way over fallen branches and traps of mud. He licked his lips, mouth-watering at the mugginess in the air. He'd been two days without water and despite how angry he still was, he knew both of them wouldn't last much longer without water. Building a shelter was the first necessary part of being stranded, now the difficult part came with finding a plentiful amount to survive on. He puffed out an irritated breath, following the trees and taking note of the changing scenery. The greener it got, the closer a source of water was. The only thing he hadn't counted on was how far off it was. Cap leaned against a tree, listening for the telltale trickle of even a small stream. A weary grin grew across his cheeks as he finally heard the rushing water like a prayer. He paced quickly through trees and bushes, stumbling upon the minuscule glade. He settled down carefully into the slick shoreline, dipping his shield in to collect a delicate bounty. There wasn't much he could carry, but at least it would take the edge off for both him and Tony until they could figure out a way to carry more back to the shore.


End file.
